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We Saw a Halloween Rave in the Middle of the Desert Featuring Frankie Bones

Summary/Commentary:

Desert raves have long been a tradition that have bee celebrated outside of the Burning Man's Playa paradise. Check out how how one rave relived the glory days with this feature from Phoenix New Times' Amanda Savage.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Phoenix, head to the desert. Desert raves have been an underground staple of the dance music scene since I can remember.

Once upon a time, underground parties were the only places you could listen to electronic music and engage in the culture. I have been to desert raves before, but my last had been about 10 years ago, before the floodgates of electronic music opened to the mainstream — so I was intrigued to see if anything had changed. My partner in crime for the evening (my boyfriend) had never been to a desert rave, although he's well-versed in dance music, having been brought up in warehouses and clubs in Chicago.

We had finally found a show worthy of the trek: Legendary producer/DJ Frankie Bones was coming to Arizona on October 22. He was headlining Bloodfest, an underground party which had moved from a warehouse in Phoenix to an undisclosed location in the middle of the desert.

We were both excited at the possibility of experiencing a culture that we feared might have gone extinct, back when the rave scene was hidden and protected, and going to see a DJ was about the music and the community you would experience, and not so much about being seen and trying to fit an image.

With that said, one of the exciting things about desert parties is that getting there makes for half the experience.